Quick Reference - Avoiding Plagiarism

Here are some helpful guidelines on avoiding plagiarism — and the accompanying disciplinary penalties — from J. Raymond Hendrickson's book The Research Paper (Henry Holt and Company, New York, 1957).

When writing a paper try to use your own words the majority of the time.

When you do use another person's words, use quotation marks and give credit to the source, either within the text or in a footnote.

Don't make slight variations in the language and then fail to give credit to the source. If the expression is essentially the same, the author still deserves credit.

Even if you aren't directly quoting the material, you should still document information and ideas that you use in your paper whenever they are new to you (i.e., something that you discovered in your research).

If you're unsure, add the footnote or citation. It is better to be extra cautious than not give credit when you should.